The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-11-12
THE DROP FALLS.
The -Four Doomed Anarchists Suffer
For Their Crime.
With No Sign Of Repentance or Admis-
sion Of Guilt,
They Cry for Anarchy as They Stand
Beneath the GallOWS.
Events Of Their Last Night and Morn-
ing on Earth.
Tae Strains Of The MarSeiIIaiSe Heard
in the Jail,
As Condemned Fischer Sings While
Awaiting His Death.
An Army Of Police Keeps Guard Around
the Prison.
Every Point Of Approach Covered by
Many Rifles.
Mrs. Parsons Creates a Scene and is
Arrested.
LaWless Men Get Into Trouble but
There in no Fighting
LaWleSs Men Get Into Trouble but
There in no Fighting

CHICAGO, Nov. 1.-THE four condemned
Anarchists in the county Jail were hanged
this forenoon the execution being attended
by no disturbance outside the Jail and the
proceedings inside the prison being carried
out in accordance with the arrangements
The condemned men retained their self pos
session until the last, giving no indication
of dread of their impending doom.
Ate o'clock this morning 800 policemen,
armed with rifles, bayonets, revolvers and
full cartridge boxes, were on duty at the
Chicago jail. The battalion of three COM
panies of police that had been quartered in
the Jail and criminal court building since
the new orders went into force did duty in
side the building today. detail having been
made for every advantageous post.
In addition to the battalion on the inside
there was force on the outside composed of
a company from each of the five precincts
and three companies from the central detail.
This force was armed with rifles and sur
rounded the entire block in which tho Jail is
situated, which. in addition to the cordons
OF police, was enclosed by ropes. The men
were depl0yed in open order, so that if at
tacks, especially with bombs, the execution
would not be so great, while at the same
time the police would be able to return fire
with greater effect and less danger to them
selves. Detectives were stationed outside
the police lines and mingled with the crowd
Everything was very still in the jail. In
the outer office about score of deputies and
newspaper reporters lounged, all wearied
with their nights vigil. Not 20 feet away
the M Anarchists, cell reposed in deep shadow.
The condemned men slept. The hour of their
execution drew near, but they felt not the
flight Of the moments.
Before midnight, and while the Anarchists
were either sleeping or feigning sleep, the
gallows were put up. About / o'clock they
were tested, first as had been done i'm the
case of the italian, and they were found to
operate without any hindrance. A bag of
sand weighing $50 pounds was swung off
four times, once from each rope, and with
no other effect than to stretch the rope a
trifie. The ropes were of excellent ouality
and endured the tests to the best ADVANTAGE
Experts who were present said there was
pended on.
At O'Clock there was absolutely nothing
undone. A wagon had been drawn up to the
jail some time before, and four coffns were
taken out and deposited in the basement ad-
Joining the kitchen. That was the very last
preparation Tor the impending tragedy. The
oinclals who were to perform the execution
SLEPT; SLEPT, Inc men 70 be executed slept: Two
guards watched the slumbers of each of the
doomed men. From midnight forward till
daybreak, silence reigned in the fail.
The active preparations for the execution
began at O'Clock, when Chief Bailiff Cahill
arrived at the jail and assigned the deputy
sherlfts to their various positions during the
event 1t was announced that Jaier Folz.
with Deputies Galpin, Spears and Cleveland
would conduct the prisoners to the scaffold
and superintend the hanging. Deputy Lei
brandt, with five other deputies, was ASST yned
to guard the main entrance to the criminal
court building. To guard the stairs and
court yard were assigned eight deputies. In
deputies.
At 10 o'clock, Parsons, Fischer and Spies
asked for twenty minutes each on the gal
lows. in which to make speeches. Fischer
then sang the Marseillaise, in which the 9TH
or prisoners Joined. Fischer continued to
make display of bravado. Soon after sing
ing the Marseillaise, he spoke to Turnkey
heaven I'll put in a good word for you"
When Fischer awoke this morning he turned
to one of the officers and said: II dreamed
about Germany last night;" then he relapsed
into silence for quite a long period. The
voice of Fischer seemed round and full, but
quivering just trihe. The reporters pressed
close about the doors of the cage and listened
till the deep tones died away in silence The
song lasted two minutes.
In Readiness.
1t was stated at 1918 that the procession
to the gallows would start In exactly three
quarters of an hour, or 12 o'clock, Boston
time.
Following close upon telegraphic report
from Springfield that Governor Oglesby had
decided once for all the deputies commenced
at 1927 distributing tickets to the reporters
who were to watch the march to the gallows.
The governor subsequently telegraphed
Sheriff Matson that he saw no necessity for
INV fur 40 M aftni0 of
subject of the execution and con ,uded his
telegram by telling him to proceed with his
duty.
At 11.04 the reporters were admitted into
cell room to view the execution. The rafting
OF chairs, tables and benches continued for
several minutes, but by lilo there began to
fall hush, and conversation among the
crowd sunk almost to a whisper. The bare
whitewashed walls made painful contrast
with the dark brown gallows, with its four
noosed ropes dropping ominously near the
floor A CLEAN of sunshine shooting
through the window at this instant fell on a
corner of the death machine and in a slight
degree relieved its sombre hue. The chief
bailiff began at lilo calling out the names of
the persons summoned as Jurors, and bring
ing them forward to the row of little stools
directly in front of the gallows. No other
sounds were heard in the long, high corridor,
but the solemn monotOnous voice of the
bailif and the rustling of the jurors as they
tlptoed forward through the crowd
A command to the crowd fronting the gal
lows that all must stop smoking was given
at 11.35. The dozen or two who were using
the weed quenched the fire, some rather
reluctantly, and the ashes were SLOWLY
strewn on the pavement 1t was now II az.
and the suspense of the crowd near the
gallows was intense. There was no relief
and the newspaper men gazed at the gallows
to and fro.
The End.
No other four men probably ever showed
more thorough contempt for death than the
Anarchists who were executed today. From
early dawn until the last moment, they
would not see a shadow either of the igno-